11 Billy Eichner Now You Know Facts
With Billy Eichner's new groundbreaking gay rom-com, Bros, releasing just around the corner, it's time we take a deeper look at the screaming, pop-culture obsessed, New Yorker. Here are 15 facts about Billy off the street.
His Madonna Broadway Bar Mitzvah
Eichner told Pete Holmes, “The bar mitzvah that I had was not technically Madonna-themed. I could not decide whether the theme should be Broadway, which I was very into at the time and still am, or pop music, which I was very into at the time and still am. I was much an MTV-obsessed kid. So, the theme became Broadway meets pop music. Just to made things even gayer and also thematically so unyielding, like those two things … It’s so inelegant. So if you wanna go one step further, and one day I will do a comedy special and actually show the footage from this because people will not recover from it. It’s truly a miracle I wasn’t bullied more as a child. I think it’s because I was tall. I was very gay but very tall.”
The Origins Of Billy On The Street
Funny Or Die
Billy On The Street became a feature of his live show, “Creation Nation,” in the summer of 2004 as a segment to play on the screen between sketches. Billy had been working on a persona of a man “who was very intensely into the entertainment industry to an absurd degree” and decided to try throwing the character outside in NYC.
How Billy Became Craig On Parks And Rec
NBC
Eichner got his role on Parks and Rec through a DM on Twitter. Mike Schur, the creator of the show, reached out to Eichner to offer him the role of Craig as he was a fan of Eichner’s Billy On The Street work. “I have agents, managers, and lawyers, but Twitter ultimately how the deal went down.
The Spontaneity Of Billy On The Street
Funny Or Die
Eichner denied a request from former first lady Michelle Obama's office to vet the questions before her appearance on the show. Eichner told the office that, “half of what’s great about Billy on the Street is the spontaneity.” The office agreed to Billy’s terms culminating in a slow dance between Michelle Obama and Big Bird.
He Was On SNL As A Kid
Broadway Video
Eichner started acting early as a child in New York in an effort to fulfill his Broadway aspirations. Eichner’s manager called Billy after school and asked, “Guess what show you’re going to be on that you watch every Saturday?” To which Billy responded, “The Golden Girls?” Eichner appeared in the 1993 SNL episode hosted by John Goodman, although he was sad because Madonna had been the musical guest the week before.
Billy’s Utilization Of Social Media
Funny Or Die
Eichner is very thankful for platforms like Youtube and social media for helping to foster his career. He believes that if he were born 20 years earlier, “I would have been one of those elderly, bitter gay ushers at a Broadway theater, holding a flashlight if you come in late to An American in Paris, yelling at you that you can’t bring the sodas in.”
Why He Shouts
Funny Or Die
When asked why he shouts on Billy On The Street Eichner responded, “I had very loud parents, and you’re in New York — it’s loud outside. And I am someone who likes to hit a line very hard.”
“Let’s Go Lesbians!”
His audio “Let’s go lesbians” from Billy On The Street became a popular meme format.
His Full Circle Moment
Disney
Not only was Eichner the voice of the live-action Lion King remake, but he was also a bartender at The Lion King on Broadway in 2002, which Eichner described as a real full circle moment.
How Eichner’s Angry Birds Role Came To Be
Sony
Eichner said, “I had Jason Sudeikis on Billy On The Street and Jason talked about how he was going to be starring as the main voice of the Angry Birds movie, and it had a list of 50 actors in it. Every actor in Hollywood was in the Angry Birds movie. I was the only person not asked to be in the Angry Birds movie. And I'm known for basically being an angry bird, essentially and I was very very hurt that I wasn't considered. So on Billy On The Street, I went off about why I was not asked to be in the movie and sure enough, the creator of the Angry Birds movie saw it and was like, ‘You know what you're right you should be in the movie,’ and then they called and gave me like two small parts, they kind of threw me into it. The best part of it was how it came about. I was like, ‘Oh, that's how I get cast. I just have to go on Billy On The Street and say what role I want and then I get it.’”
A Famous Classmate
Apatow Productions
Billy graduated from Northwestern University in 2000 and told Seth Meyers he was still paying off his loans 17 years later. He said, "I don't even need the . I need to melt down the gold and take it to a pawn shop." Eichner has also mentioned how he attended the acting school at the same time as Meghan Markle, although the two never met.
For exclusive ComedyNerd content and more, subscribe to our spiffy newsletter:
Get the best of Cracked sent directly to your inbox!
Sign up for the Cracked Newsletter
Top Image: Funny Or Die
